After winning the championship for the second season in succession, Maccabi will begin its 2025/26 European campaign in the Champions League 2nd qualifying round.
The draw which took place at UEFA’s Headquarters in Nyon Switzerland paired Maccabi with the Champions of Cyprus who are expected to host the first leg. The final date and venue of the matches will be announced at a later time.
Maccabi will host its 2025/26 European qualifiers at Backa Topola’s TSC Arena in Serbia. The 4531- capacity stadium hosted Maccabi during the 2023/24 Conference League campaign.
As in last season: Updated Champions League format
In order to reach the Champions League phase, Maccabi will need to progress through three qualifying rounds (the 2nd round, 3rd round, and Playoff). In the event a team is eliminated at any stage of their Champions League qualifiers, it will drop into the Europa League qualifying rounds. Due to UEFA’s format changes, the Champions League will be held this season in a new structure featuring 36 clubs. In the first league phase, each club will play eight matches. The top eight clubs at the end of this phase will advance directly to the round of 16, while those finishing in 9-24 will compete in a playoff for a place among the final 16.
